A Christmas in Bloom
by MyVioMelody
Summary: It's the Leaf Village's annual Christmas party and Ino can't wait to give Sakura her gift.


This was my first time writing anything for the Naruto fandom so sorry for any ooc-ness.

Also anything in _italics_ is Ino's inner thoughts.

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>What a waste of a perfectly good evening.<em>

She thought as she scanned the room full of her comrades.

It was the Hidden Leaf Village's annual Christmas party and all the teams were there. It was the village's favorite night of the year, where everyone dressed up in goofy holiday sweaters and gathered at the Hokage's house to drink egg nog and hot chocolate while singing carols and watching Christmas movies.

This was usually Ino's favorite time of year, but she just was not in the holiday spirit. She figured it had something to do with _her_, considering that's all who she had been thinking about lately. Of all the girls to fall in love with, it would be _her. _But when she really thought about it, it wasn't that bad. In fact, she loved being in love with her. What was there not to like?

When they were younger she knew Sakura was going to grow up and become beautiful. Yeah she used to tease her about her forehead all the time, but that was only because she was jealous. Before she had feelings for Sakura she had thought she was in love with Sasuke. At the time she had tried to compete with Sakura for his love and attention, hence the whole jealousy and teasing phase, but as they got older and Sasuke developed more into his current masculine figure, she realized she had only liked him due to his once feminine features. She soon had come to terms with her true emotions and had discovered it was most definitely Sakura she was in love with, _not_ Sasuke.

Speaking of, where was she? The party had started half an hour ago and she had arrived early in hopes of giving her the lovely bouquet she had gotten for her. It was a seasonal combination of poinsettias and serissas* that she was sure the girl would love. They had always enjoyed picking flowers and making their own little arrangements of them when they were younger, so she figured it would be the best gift.

Just as she was debating whether or not the size of the arrangement was too much or not enough, the door to the main entrance slammed open and a flash of spikey yellow hair came into view.

Naruto was the first to enter the room, although Sasuke was hot on his heels. It looked like the two were having some sort of trivial argument, and by the looks of their hideous sweaters she could tell why. Both boys had on a red and green sweater with a Santa sitting on the toilet. How Naruto convinced Sasuke to wear it, especially in public, was a complete mystery, but the murderous look on his face told her it was no easy feat.

Their team leader Kakashi entered right behind them, and she had to admit he looked quite dapper in his casual wear. His black mask was again joining him for the evening and she wondered if his poor face ever got a holiday of its own.

A shimmer of dark red and glitter ripped her from all thoughts of masks and shady sensei's to take in the arrival of the girl of her dreams.

It appeared that Sakura had decided to wear a mid- length, burgundy holiday dress rather than the routine goofy sweater, although Ino was not complaining. She had decided to forgo the unappealing attire as well and was donning a mini, deep purple holiday dress herself. She had to admit they were the most attractive people in the room, and how Sakura ever managed to mix both the red of her various apparels and the pink of her hair without looking like a walking valentine was beyond her.

The beautiful sight that was Sakura Haruno gave her pause, and it wasn't until Sakura was making her way over to her that she began to panic.

"Wow Ino your dress is so beautiful! You always were better at pulling off shorter outfits than me." She laughed.

"Ah, well you don't look so bad yourself. That burgundy color really suites you."

"You think so? I wasn't so sure, but Tenten said I just had to buy it. She thinks she knows everything when it comes to fashion." Sakura let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Seems to me like she knows what she's talking about." Ino replied, producing a slight blush on Sakura's face.

"Whoa Sakura your face is kind of red, are you hot too? Maybe we should open a window or something."

_Damn it Naruto, go away!_

"Shut up teme, it's less than 20 degrees outside there is no way we're opening a window. Do you want everyone to get sick?"

_Sasuke not you too?!_

"Yeah well it's better than dying of heat stroke!"

"No one is going to die of heat stroke!"

"They might if we don't open a window!"

"Hey, hey! How about you boys cool off with some egg nog, hmm?"

Ino and Sakura both smiled at Kakashi who had come at just the right time, breaking up what could have been another infamous Naruto and Sasuke fight.

Both boys grudgingly complied, but not before declaring they were both going to finish their glass first.

The girls laughed at their childish behavior, and were then left in an awkward silence.

Remembering the bouquet, Ino casually grabbed both of Sakura's hands and smiled.

"I got something for you." She said before she turned to grab the bouquet from the couch behind her, when the door was once again thrust open and they were greeted by the none other than the members of Team Guy.

Tenten was the first to notice them and rushed over to say hello.

"Oh my goodness you both look so amazing! Ino don't you just love the dress I picked out for Sakura, it's like it was made for her!"

Sakura was nothing but bright smiles for their friend, while Ino was slightly annoyed.

"Yes it's really pretty on her. I was just telling her that before Naruotard and Sasgay rudely interrupted us."

The brunette laughed at the mention of the two nicknames, but was easily distracted by the sight of the karaoke machine.

"Say Sakura do you want to sing with me?"

Before she could even reply Tenten was dragging her towards the machine listing off about a dozen or so songs they could sing together.

Ino was furious! This was not going at all like she had planned.

She watched the two select some annoying pop song and then slowly made her way towards the kitchen. As much as she loved Sakura she knew singing was not one of her strong suites, and she wasn't too sure about Tenten's abilities, but she was sure she didn't want to find out.

Walking through the main room she was happy yet a little sad to see everyone else having a good time. Rock Lee, Kiba and Shino were in the middle of an intense game of poker using Iruka's signature Christmas cookies as leverage, while Guy sensei was in the midst of telling an elaborate mission story to an unfazed Kakashi and a distracted Hokage.

She didn't know exactly who or what she was searching for, but stopped when she came upon a highly intoxicated Naruto and Sasuke. The area around them smelt like eggs and alcohol and the scent alone almost made the two dying cats in the living area seem much more appealing. She scrunched up her nose and was about to head back the way she came when she felt a heavy arm make its way across her shoulder.

"Ino I don feel zo gud."

Great. Of all the things she needed this evening, a drunk Naruto was not one of them.

She took a quick look behind them to see how Sasuke was holding up and just like Naruto he was a complete mess, except he decided to lean against the wall for support. He appeared somewhat more coherent though, so Ino had decided it would be ok to leave him for a while. Besides, Kakashi wasn't too far away and considering he had a soft spot for the raven haired boy, she knew he would be safe.

With little else to do, Ino held Naruto's arm and wrapped a hand around his waist and led him to the back porch to get some air. Once outside she plopped him down on the swinging bench and carefully sat down next to him. Naruto was still for a few moments and when he opened his mouth she prayed to every Kage she knew that Naruto would not throw up on her.

"…I'm in love with Sasukeeee."

Ino was not surprised at all with Naruto's confession, but coming from her own experience she knew that speaking it out loud, and to someone else, made a world of difference.

"I'm in love with Sakura." She countered.

It took some time for her words to process in the tipsy blonde's head, but when they did he just about fell off of his seat.

"WHAT?! You…a-and SAKURA!"

She was silent.

Just as Naruto's confession had done for him, hearing herself say the words out load and to someone other than her own reflection in her bathroom mirror, the weight of her statement felt heavy. The two remained quiet in the thick atmosphere, each contemplating what it is they had just said. It wasn't until Naruto let out a loud and disturbing belch, that Ino was reminded of the drunk boy next to her.

He sluggishly began making use of her shoulder as some sort of pillow and she doubted it was very comfortable, but she figured he was too gone to really notice or care.

"Y'know, we're kind of in the same boat, you and me."

"Yeah. Both of us are in love with our best friends and rivals."

"Ha aren't they lucky."

Ino had to laugh at that.

Her laughter rang through the crisp winter air, startling the sleepy blonde next to her and waking him from his sluggish stupor. He began to chuckle as well, and soon the two were leaning on the back of the swing and holding their sides, releasing their lovesick mirth into the night. Sasuke and Sakura _were_ lucky to be cared for by friends such as themselves. They were all pretty lucky and for the first time that evening Ino felt happy. She was happy to have such wonderful friends and happy to be in love with the most beautiful girl in the whole world.

The heavy doubt of uncertainty lifted from her heart and she felt a sudden surge of hope take its place. Even if Sakura only saw her as a friend, she would still be happy and more than glad to have someone as amazing as her in her life. And looking at Naruto, she knew he felt the same about Sasuke, except she didn't think he had anything to worry about.

"Come on" She said, tugging the still slightly tipsy ninja up from the bench by his sleeve.

"We both have some confessing to do."

Naruto's eyes were determined, yet she could detect a minor trace of fear and apprehension. She gave his hand a light squeeze, conveying reassurance, and was at ease when she felt him squeeze back.

"Lets' do this."

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Making their way back into the kitchen, Ino helped Naruto search for his hopefully soon-to-be boyfriend. The room had gotten a bit more crowded with the arrival of late guests, so it was difficult to see where he had gone off to. He was no longer against the wall where they had last seen him so they simply continued their search.

Ino spotted him first. He was across the room standing in the door way with Kakashi.

_At least someone took care of him._

She turned to inform her companion and saw Naruto making his way towards her through the crowd. Directing her gaze back to the two in the door way she was shocked at what she saw next.

Ever so slowly, Kakashi had discreetly pulled down his mask and advanced upon a shocked looking Sasuke. Ino had wanted to say something to stop them, but it had all happened so quick. She hoped Naruto was still stuck among the other guests, she did not want him to see this.

It took Sasuke a few moments to process what exactly was going on, his head still light from all the egg nog. It wasn't until he felt the swipe of his teacher's warm tongue attempting to enter his parted lips, that he pushed the white haired man away.

"Ahhhh!"

A flash of red and green made its way over to the pair, coming to a halt in front of the elite sensei. Ino had never seen Naruto look so furious. His eyes were sharp and red while fangs began to take shape on his upper and lower gums. His breathing was labored as it was evident he was struggling to control his temper. The copy ninja sensed the dangerous atmosphere and waited for his agitated pupil to speak.

But it was Sasuke who broke the tension.

"Naruto stop, it's okay... _I'm_ okay."

Hearing the voice from behind him Naruto turned to look at the raven and felt his anger slowly resolve. Kakashi took his distraction as the opportune moment to walk away, figuring it would just be better to let the two boys talk everything out and figured he'd explain himself to Sasuke later.

Ino was still nervous after seeing Naruto's reaction and decided to observe the boys before her. Naruto was still breathing heavily while Sasuke had inched closer and began brushing loose strands of hair from the blonde's face. As soon as she was sure Naruto was calm, she quietly left the two alone and began to search for Sakura.

She caught a glimpse of Tenten sitting next to Shikamaru at the poker table, watching as Neji finished distributing the new cards.

"Hey Tenten have you seen Sakura?"

"She should still be in the living room somewhere. I left after Temari showed up, that girl is so annoying." Although they were not part of the village, the sand siblings were well known allies and friends, so the Hokage insisted they attend.

Ino thought she could say the same about her, but instead she gave a quick thanks and headed into the living area.

Sakura was sitting alone on the couch, cradling her Christmas bouquet in her arms.

Ino instantly felt her heart sink. She was unsure of how Sakura would respond to the gesture and was about to exit the room when Sakura's eyes caught her own.

"Are…are these for me?" She whispered, as if she were almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I was going to give them to you earlier before Temari interrupted us. Do you like them?"

Ino's heart was drumming loudly in her chest, blocking out all other noise and chatter, concentrating only on this moment.

Sakura was quiet. Slowly she got up from the couch and walked over to where Ino was still standing in the door way.

"I love them."

Sakura's smile was bright and genuine, causing Ino's stomach to explode with butterflies. She felt a smile of her own take place and looked up to notice the small piece of holly conveniently hanging above them.

She hesitantly brushed her lips against Sakura's feeling the others warmth envelope her, spreading from her lips throughout her chest. Her hands found the small of Sakura's back, gently pulling the pink haired girl closer so their chests were pushed together, increasing the warmth.

Sakura tasted sweet like her favorite cherry flavored lip gloss, and Ino could not get enough. She licked along Sakura's lower lip, sliding her tongue through the entrance created by the eager parting of lips. Sakura's tongue led the way with soft caresses and Ino released a small moan, her months of imagination paling in comparison to the actual thing. But upon her embarrassing mis-slip she gradually pulled away, deciding it was best to finish this another time when they were not at a gathering surrounded by the entire village.

Sakura casually composed herself and wiped away some extra gloss from Ino's lips, making sure to be as slow and gentle as possible. The butterflies in her stomach were once again awakened yet Ino felt completely at ease.

"Oh wait we have to find Naruto."

Sakura gave her friend an odd look before she found herself being tugged away from the living area and into the crowd of party goers through the kitchen.

Ino was so excited to tell him how everything worked out and hoped that things between him and Sasuke had cooled over, but upon finding the two in a heated make out session in the far corner of the room, she realized it could wait.

Instead she redirected her and Sakura to the back porch as she had done with Naruto earlier, and settled them both down upon the wooden swing.

The two girls sat in silence, their fingers entwined with Ino rubbing small circles into the back of Sakura's hand. It was peaceful, and Ino could not imagine having ever been happier.

She broke from her reverie when she felt a slight tingle to her left. Sakura had removed one of the serissas from her bouquet and had placed it behind Ino's ear.

"Beautiful." She breathed, her cheeks tinting an adorable pink before she leaned her head against Ino's shoulder.

Ino could feel her own cheeks heating up and let out a sigh of contentment.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask and so many things she wanted to explain, but for now she wanted nothing more than to enjoy this moment.

"Merry Christmas, Sakura."

"Merry Christmas, Ino."

It was a merry Christmas indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** *serissas are a type of winter rose located in certain parts of Asia.

Also you can find Naruto and Sasuke's sweater at_ baronbob_, for those who are interested ;p

I really adore Ino and Sakura's relationship so I just had to. Everything would have just been so much better if they were all gay, but I guess that's what fics are for!

Please let me know what you all think and I hope you all have a happy holiday season :D


End file.
